WIRTZ, VIRGINIA (Smith Mountain Eagle) - The statistics show marked improvement in the number of dogs and cats being saved through efforts by the Franklin County Humane Society but one volunteer says there’s no time to rest on their laurels.

Since about 2005 the euthanasia rate has dropped from a rate of about 90.5 percent to an all-time low of 21 percent for dogs, said Smith Mountain Lake resident and active humane society volunteer Inglath Cooper.

Last year, a majority (70 percent) of the stray dogs and 40 percent of the stray cats in Franklin County found their way to the humane society and its adoption center.

However, it’s a never-ending challenge to continue the positive trend and more volunteers are needed to join the effort of saving stray dogs and cats in Franklin County.

“They were somebody’s pet,” Cooper said of the strays. “They can be re-homed.”

Cooper said if the humane society and the county can work together then the main goal should be to re-home the stray dogs and cats. “That’s where we start from,” she said.

APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA - Nationally recognized writer and photographer John Spohrer has donated the framed original of a photograph of a beautiful cat photographed at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The photo is displayed at the Apalachicola Area Chamber of Commerce ...